Month: April 2024

It’s All In The Details

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Swim, Testing

We are in the thick of tri season, and races are happening every weekend.

Are you keeping up with your training?

Have you had setbacks with illness? Are you feeling tired? Has life happened?

This is all a normal part of the journey, it is happening to everyone, but can all be prevented by paying attention to the details in your training plan.

The details:

Nutrition: If you are not fueling to support your training, you will burn out or get sick. Your body will ensure that happens because it cannot trust you to get the nutritional support and rest that it needs to keep going.

You can avoid this if you fuel properly before, during, and after training.

It’s simpler than it seems. Eat to fuel your training with unprocessed, one-ingredient carbohydrates, fats and proteins – examples would be sweet potato, avocado and any animal protein you enjoy.  Time your nutrition before and after with real food and use clean sports nutrition while training.

Now is not the time to try to eat carnivore or fast. Your body needs fuel to perform!

I believe we need good whole-food organic supplements to help with the added stress that triathlon puts on our bodies and lifestyles. By this I mean not synthetic vitamins but vitamins made from organic foods that your body recognizes and can use to support any deficiency’s that you are not getting from your food.

Sleep: it is the best recovery tool. DO NOT neglect your sleep.

If you do, you will pay. It’s not a question of IF, but WHEN your body forces you to recover because you have not gotten enough sleep. 7-9 hours/night is ideal. If you get a 6 or less, make up for it with a nap or longer sleep the next night. Please do not give me the excuse of not having enough time- stop scrolling on social and go to bed earlier!

Strength Training: it is sometimes more important than swimming, biking, or running.

If your body lacks the structural/muscular strength it needs, the repetitive movements of swimming, biking, and running can cause overuse injuries.

On those days when you simply cannot get out the door for your swim, bike, or run, make sure you get 20 minutes of strength training.

Buy your equipment and have a set of dumbbells right next to your desk.

Have a mat set up and a pull-up bar in the doorway.

Do some squats, lunges, rows, and push-ups every day.

You will be amazed at how much your tri performance will improve by not neglecting your strength training!

All of these details are an intergral part of my Triathlon Transformation Training Program. This is how I’ve helped 1000’s of athletes over the past 27 years acheive their triathlon dreams.

Will you be next?

Are you ready to take your triathlon training to the next level? Don’t let setbacks hold you back any longer. It’s time to prioritize your nutrition, sleep, and strength training to unlock your full potential.
Let’s get to know each other better – fill out this form and let’s work together to achieve your goals.

Your journey to success starts now!

Dive into Speed: 3 Tips to Amp Up Your Swim Race Performance

by fullcircle, posted in Blogs, Swim, Testing

Many of you just finished Swim Miami, and maybe you want to get faster for your next open water swim race.

3 Techniques to Improve Your Speed in Your Next Open Water Swim Race

Video analysis
Getting a video of your swimming technique above and below the water is a simple way to get faster. Then, you can correct your technique by doing the drills prescribed by an experienced coach who can identify the areas you need to improve without changing your training! You will go faster if every stroke, kick, and breath is more streamlined. Smooth is fast in swimming. (Please set up a call with me if you want me to analyze your swim stroke virtually! Book a call here)

Speed Work
If you add speed training just 1 day/ week, you can unlock your potential for speed in races. Speed work examples would be: 30 x 25 on :45 seconds; 20 x 50 on 1:15 or 10 x 100 on 2:30.

Practicing speed and technique in the open water
So many swimmers only swim long distances in their open water swim training, but including speed work and technique drills in the open water will help you maintain the speed and technique in the open water where you will be racing!

Bonus Tip
This is probably the most important secret to getting faster in your next swim event. Check it out to access this essential secret that is a priority over all the others.

From Swim Essentials to Ultimate Tri Camp – Meet Rockstar Pat Draper

by fullcircle, posted in ROCKSTARS, Ultimate Tri Camp

From Swim Essentials to Ultimate Tri Camp – Meet Rockstar Pat Draper

Coaches Notes: Pat reached out a few years ago about her swimming, so she took my swim essentials course, which includes video analysis and swim training to correct your technique. Her swimming started to improve! She then joined my signature Triathlon Transformation program to tackle the big goal of a 70.3 in 2024. We performed all the rest of her evaluations- Swim, Bike, Run, Strength and Mobility, and Nutrition.

Since she lives in Vero Beach, Florida, and we don’t get to train face-to-face very often, I knew Ultimate Tri Camp was the best opportunity for us to train together.

Pat kicked butt at camp! She participated in everything, learning how to unlock chronic hip pain and strengthen her whole body specific to each sport.
She enjoyed the guest speakers, meditation and Kihara and Eldoa – Longitudinal Osteo-Articular Decoaptation Stretching, is a revolutionary technique created by World renowned Osteopath Dr. Guy Voyer.

She got stronger on the swim, bike, and run day by day! She did her 1st Sprint Triathlon this past weekend after a 5-year break! So proud of you, Pat. You truly are a Rockstar Triathlete. I’m super excited you already signed up for UTC 2025!

Will you be joining her? We are extending our post-camp sale until the end of April. Don’t miss out on the 30% savings!

—

Age: 68

Profession: Semi-retired nurse-practitioner.

Why did you choose UTC?
Because of the coach, Erinne Guthrie. I have worked with Erinne a few times in the past and knew right away she was not only expert in all things related to triathlon, but she could help me fix my swim. And, boy, did it need fixing. I’m not where I want to be, but my mindset is changing now; I look forward to swimming rather than dreading it. Back when I was competing regularly, I had qualified for Nationals twice. Now, I’m anxious to see what I can do this year, after a five-year hiatus.

Big goals accomplished?
UTC helped me realize I could run again. I am slow but my goals now are different than when I started competing in 2012. I am focusing on form and most of the time, trying to do what the coaches recommend.

Successes?
Doing an open water swim again and feeling like I’m in charge of my breathing, instead of the other way around. And, running a sub-12 minute mile at camp. Meant a lot after not running continuously for five years.
Swim: Now able to average 2:49/100 m, open water
Run: Switching to minimalist shoes was a game-changer. Hip pain I’ve struggled with for years is almost gone.
Bike: Not monitoring power yet, but averaging better than 17 mph.
Nutrition: Being gently reminded of the toxicity of processed foods along with the necessity of magnesium supplements.

Biggest Personal Goal?
Knowing I could do it. I had my doubts but now I am totally psyched!

Things that will make a difference after camp:
1. Minimalist shoes
2. Foam roller and a stretching and strength routine.
3. Breath work and warmup before swimming

Favorite part? Getting to know others who are passionate about the triathlon life.

What would I say to others who are on the fence about going?
Just do it. You won’t regret it for one minute.

Ready to get your best time yet?! Here’s how you can get access to Ultimate Tri Camp!

UTC 2025 will be held February 17-23, 2025 in Clearwater, Florida.

As one of our valued subscribers, you can take advantage of 30% off of registration if you claim your spot before April 30, 2024.

Click here to pay in full.

Click here for the payment plan.

Erinne Guthrie has been a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing, and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, and more.

From Being Hit by a Car to Starting his Triathlon Journey: Meet UTC Rockstar Mark Testoni

by fullcircle, posted in Bike, ROCKSTARS, Run, Swim, Ultimate Tri Camp

Rockstar Triathlete: Mark Testoni

Coaches Notes:

Mark and I met a year ago and almost started coaching when he was hit by a car on his bike. We had to postpone training until he recovered, and camp was the perfect kickstart to his training program. He could swim, bike, and run again, so I invited him to join us. 

Since we have three different coaching levels at Ultimate Tri Camp, he started on day one in the C group and had enough fitness to enter the B group on day 2.

I’m super proud of Mark for putting aside his hesitation at being a newbie and simply embracing his own process and learning each day. 

His progress has been impressive, and I’m super excited about his 2024 Tri Season. We will start with a few sprints, move to International Distance, and end the year with a 70.3. 

Let’s Do this, Mark! You are a Rockstar Ultimate Tri Camper!

Age: 68

Profession: I am a semi-retired military and tech industry executive. I am currently Chairman of cBEYONData, a software and tech services firm. 

Why did you choose Ultimate Tri Camp for help in your triathlon journey?
As an older athlete new to the sport, I wanted to learn and hear the experiences of others in the sport. I am pretty much a novice, but I have experience as a modestly successful distance runner from many years ago.
Avid Peloton rider in recent years. Nowhere near a lap pool in 50 years.

Coach Erinne articulated how the camp could help—and it did!

 

Please share your BIG goals and how Ultimate Tri Camp supported you:

1. Understand how to approach training and recovery. Discussions and listening to the experiences of athletes and coaches are all amazingly helpful.

2. Become an effective swimmer at a distance. I arrived at camp with the ability of your average rock—floating was a challenge 😂 . I learned a number of swim drills. I watched and was very much inspired by the rest of the group and their great abilities. I am very motivated to improve—I will soon.

3. Want to complete a 70.3 when ready—so inspired beyond watching and listening to everyone at camp. I’m a determined person, and everyone was so encouraging—I have no doubt I will get there.

Tell me about your successes so far:

I spent my past year recovering from a cycling accident and some secondary physical challenges. Camp timing was perfect as I am starting to ramp up.

1. More confident in the water.

2. Improved running and biking technique.

3. Signed up with FCC for the complete Triathlon Transformation training program!

What were some of your most considerable Improvements in performance at Ultimate Tri Camp?

Swim: Arrived: swimming like a ‘listing ship.’ Departed: drilling properly and more focused.
Bike: Better technique with riding in groups and climbing
Run: Improved body and arm position
Nutrition/Health: Comprehend the purpose of supplements and their use.
Mindset: inspired and highly motivated.

Name 2 or 3 things that have made the most significant difference in your triathlon performance after participating in Ultimate Tri Camp:

1. Inspiration—from the athletes and coaches. Each gave me ideas, lessons, and shared experiences that genuinely moved and motivated me—even more than I could have ever expected.

2. Network—knowing so many others with FCC is a resource, help, and encouragement.

3. Knowledge—learned so much.

What excites you the most about being involved in triathlon? 
It’s the ultimate sport, where you work and compete primarily against yourself to achieve goals, yet collaborate with coaches and other athletes to pursue goals. It transcends specific abilities and drives focus, preparation, and determination. I am very excited to drive toward objectives in parallel with a great team.

What was your favorite part of Ultimate Tri Camp?

I’d be lying if I said it was the ‘ice plunge’ 🧊 😂. The people and camaraderie were second to none. I’ve used the word ‘inspired’ a ton at camp and after. I owe so much to everyone who attended; it boosted my journey.

What would you say to someone on the fence about attending Ultimate Tri Camp?
Go! It’s a safe environment for interested athletes at any level or point in their journey.

Are you coming back next year?
Absolutely

Do you want results like these?

Join us at Ultimate Tri Camp 2025 and learn cutting-edge swim, bike, run, and strength training skills to improve your speed and efficiency.

Ultimate Tri Camp is a 7-day event guaranteed to improve physical and mental performance.
 The Ultimate Tri Camp experience touches your soul and empowers your performance like nothing you’ve ever tried.  It’s the perfect venue to fine-tune your training and get you RACE READY!

All level triathletes are welcome.  Our triathlon camp programs are specifically designed to zone in and strengthen skills based on your athletic level.

Register before April 15, 2024, and get 30% off the registration fee (payment plans available). Click here to register today!

 

Erinne Guthrie has been a USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach since 1999 and Chief Motivating Officer at Full Circle Coaching, LLC since 2010. She has been training, racing, and coaching triathletes since 1997.  She is also a CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coach Level 3, USMS Master’s Swim Coach, Motivational Speaker, Metabolic Efficiency Specialist, Mom, and more.